Method of dispensing paste-like material



Dec. 22, 1959 L. L. MARRAFFINO METHOD OF DISPENSING PASTE-LIKE MATERIAL Filed Feb. 25, 195? INVENTOR. LEON/7R0 L. MflmAFF/A/o HTTORA/EY United States Patent METHOD OF DISPENSING PASTE-LIKE MATERIAL Leonard L. Marraifino, Mount Vernon, N.Y., assignor of one-half to John J. Spero Application February 25, 1957, Serial No. 642,180

6 Claims. (Cl. 222-1) The present invention, generally, relates to a new and improved method for dispensing fluent materials and, more particularly, to a method for dispensing two or more paste-like materials of different character.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application, Serial No. 377,023, filed August 28, 1953 (abandoned), and the pending U.S. patent application, Serial No. 513,261, filed June 6, 1955, now Patent No. 2,789,731, issued April 23, 1957.

In accordance with the method of the invention, the pressure applied to a main body of tooth paste to extrude the paste into a stream is also transmitted longitudinally in a forward direction through the tooth paste to a body of striping paste material to extrude stripes onto the main stream.

One of the devices which operates according to the method of the present invention provides an elongated hollow tubular member in close fitting relationship with, or as an integral part of, the discharge port of a container designed for dispensing fluent or paste-like material. The tubular member is of sufficient length to extend from the discharge port back into the container for a predetermined distance. Between the outer surface of the tubular member and the inner surface of the discharge port of the container are at least one and preferably a plurality of lateral passages which run approximately lengthwise of the tubular member. These lateral passages terminate at the head end just before the outer end of the central discharge passage defined through the center of the tubular member and the discharge port of the container. Each lateral passage opens at its inner end into the dispensing container. The head end of each lateral passage communicates inwardly with the central discharge passage through a striping port adjacent to the outer end of the central discharge passage which is directed transversely to the direction of the central discharge passage.

The dispensing container is filled with the materials to be dispensed in the form of a striped stream by first charging into the dispensing container the material which is to form the stripes. This material is charged into the head end of the dispensing container around the hollow tube in a quantity such that it does not fill the dispensing container beyond the point to which the tail end of the hollow tube extends into the container. The base material which is to form the body of the striped stream and to carry the stripes is then charged into the dispensing container to fill the balance of the container space.

In carrying out the method of the present invention, the pressure applied to the dispensing container to dispense a stream of material forces the base material which forms the body of the dispensed stream out through the central discharge passage leading to the discharge port. The pressure applied to the container and thereby to the base material is transmitted longitudinally in a forward direction by the base material to the striping material which is packed in the forward, head end of the dispensing container around the discharge port. As a consequence of this pressure, the striping material is forced toward the striping ports. The striping material is forced through the striping ports into the stream of base material passing through the central discharge passage. In this manner, the striping material is made a unitary part of a solid stream, and both materials emerge from the discharge passage of the dispensing container in the form of a striped stream.

In the case of two or more materials differing in color, the striped stream which is produced presents the dispensed materials to the consumer in a very appealing form. This is particularly true when the method is used to dispense a consumer product such as tooth paste. Tooth paste dispensed in a striped stream, for example, a white base material with red striping, is a particularly appealing form for children.

Striping material may be simply base material to which coloring dye has been added, or it may be an active ingredient in the resulting striped stream. For

example, the present method may be used to dispense a stream of white tooth paste carrying green stripes of chlorophyll. The method of the present invention may also be used in cake decorating, and the like, where the striping adds substantial decorative value.

In addition to its use for the purpose of creating a decorative effect, the method may be used to deliver a stream of two or more materials differing in some character other than or in addition to color. Since the stream of materials is formed just as the materials emerge from the dispensing container, the method has particular applicability to use with materials which are or tend to be degraded by prolonged contact with each other. In such a case, the present method allows the incompatible materials to be separately packaged in the same container and dispensed together by the consumer such separation preventing any prolonged contact of the materials from the time of packaging to the time of actual use.

The relative quantities of the two paste materials must be predetermined. A sufficient quantity of the colored striping paste to stripe the entire quantity of extrudable white paste must be inserted. At the same time, excessive colored paste must be avoided in order to prevent extrusion of all colored paste as the tube approaches exhaustion. For the combination currently in use for striped tooth paste, the amount of red paste used is about 2% of the amount of white paste. If the amount of red paste is reduced to about 0.5-1% of the white, only a portion of the extruded product is striped, while if as much as 34% of red is used, the last portion of the extruded paste will be entirely red. Naturally, the amount of colored paste required for a wider stripe or for a larger number of stripes would be somewhat larger.

The invention may be carried into effect in a variety of ways and by divers mechanical constructions. A complete understanding of the method of the present invention may be obtained from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which the single figure illustrates a crosssectional view of one device which operates according to the method of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, a conventional disposable aluminum tube dispensing container 10 is provided with a threaded head end 11 with a plurality of threads 12 for securing a cap (not shown) to the head end of the tube 10. Formed integrally with and comprising a part of the head end 11 is a hollow tube 13 extending a short distance back into and in open communication with the container 10. The sloping forward end 14 of the tube 10 encloses a zone therein into which is placed a coloring paste around the hollow tube 13. The balance of the tube 10 is filled with white Patented Dec. 22, 1959- tooth paste or any other color selected for the 'body of the striped tooth paste to be produced.

In order for the striping paste contained within the zone defined by the sloping portion 14 and the hollow tube Portion 13' to be 'placed in stripes on the body of the tooth paste, a series of passageways 15 is formedwithin the head end 11. Thus, by the ap lication of pressure to the tube 10 in the customary manner, the white tooth paste is pressed forward and 'is extruded through the hollow tubular member 13. At the same time, the White tooth paste transmits the applied pressure longitudinally to the striping paste in the zone about the hollow tubular member 13 thereby causing the striping paste to be extruded uniformly through the passageways 15 which, in turn, applies a series of stripes to the body of the tooth paste extruded through the discharge port 16. i i x '1 It is to be understood that the above-described arrangement is simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrange ments may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

Iclaim: i

1. A process for producing striped tooth paste com prising the steps of applying a force to a body of tooth paste of one color, transmitting said force longitudinally in a forward direction through said tooth paste to a body of paste material of another color, forming said tooth paste into a stream, and applying to said stream of tooth paste a longiutdinal stream of said paste material of said another color to form a striped tooth paste product, 1

2. A process for producing striped tooth paste comprising the steps of applying a force to a main body of tooth paste of one color, transmitting said force through said main body of tooth paste to a smaller body of striping paste material of another color, forming said tooth paste into a stream, and applying to said stream of tooth paste a longitudinal stream of said striping paste material of another color to form a striped tooth paste product.

3. A process for producing striped tooth paste comprising the stepsof applying a force to a main bodyof tooth paste of one color, transmitting said force through said main body of tooth paste to a smallerbody of striping paste material of another color, forming said tooth paste into a stream, and applying to said stream of tooth paste a plurality of spaced apart longitudinal streams of said striping paste material of another color to form a unitary striped tooth paste product,

4. A process for producing striped tooth paste comprising confining a first body of tooth paste of one color and a second body of tooth paste of a second color adjacent to each other, applying a force to said first body to extrude said first body in a main stream passing through said second body, transmitting said force through said first body to said second body, forming said second body into a striping stream, and applying said striping stream along the surface of said mainstream thereby to form a unitary striped tooth paste product.

7 5. A process for producing striped tooth paste comprising positioning a body of plastic tooth paste in communication with a first orifice, placing a body of plastic material having adifierent color than said tooth paste out of communication with said' first orifice and in cornmunication with another orifice intersecting said first orifice, said bodies being in pressure transmitting relation, and applying pressure to one of said bodies to force the toothpaste through said first orifice to form a stream and the plastic material through said another orifice to form a stream extending lengthwise of the toothpaste stream on its outer surface.

6. A process for producing striped tooth paste comprising positioning two bodies of plastic material adjacent each other in pressure transmitting relation along the direction in which they will be. extruded, applying pressure to only one of the two bodies of plastic material to force the plastic material of each body through different orifices to form separate streams of said plastic materials, one of the streams being of greater cross section than the other, and bringing said other stream into contact with an exterior surface of said one stream to form there a stripe extending longitudinally of said one stream.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,535,529 Hopkins Apr. 28, 1925 1,760,773 Penney May 27, 1930 2,477,200 Penney July 26, 1949 2,789,731 Marrafiino Apr. 23, 1957 

